Currently, very few options are available for safe carrying and/or storage of components such as the spars, tiller and its tiller extension, rudder, or dagger board, or sail, lines, life jacket, blocks, etc. which are commonly used on small boats. Boats of the small size and simple hull type, such as those sold under the trademark LASER are frequently used in competitions which require travel away from home on the part of a boat operator.
This type of boat has an upper portion generally continuous with the upper portions of the hull except for a central open area referred to as a cockpit. During operation, the cockpit provides a space for the operator's legs, as the operator sits on the side top surface of the craft on either side of the cockpit.
These types of boats are often used recreationally, as well as in sailing competition, both of which may also involve travel on the part of a boat operator. Typically, although a boat operator may send his boat to a chosen location by some way of shipping, he or she is inhibited from shipping the smaller, more delicate boat gear for fear of damage or theft, either of which may be inconvenient and expensive. Because of the risks inherent in shipping the smaller boat components, boat operators are usually obligated to hand-carry the components to their destination. If air travel is the method of transportation used to reach the boat owner's destination, this may require physically transporting the bulky but somewhat delicate boat components through an airport, then struggling to find a compartment on the aircraft in which the equipment may be safely stored for a flight. Current carriage structures include soft bags and cases making shipment as checked baggage an assurance of resulting damage. Hand carrying is necessary for adequate protection, and maneuvering from airport to plane is extremely difficult. Shipment by another method is just as dangerous to the equipment as checked baggage. Movement of the shipping vehicle, especially a small vehicle, may cause the gear to be thrown about, damaging it, especially if the gear was difficult to position in the carrier.
Even if a boat operator does not travel with his boat, many boat operators will have occasion to permanently or temporarily store his or her boat at a marina or similar facility. Since most boat components are easily interchangeable with components of all other comparable boats, theft has historically been a problem; recovery of stolen boat components is difficult since components from boat to boat are very close in appearance and usually bear no distinguishing marks that might allow a boat operator to identify them as hers or his. Few options are available to boat operators who use marinas for temporary or permanent storage. One of the few options include a wall rack which may be used to store the sailboat's spars, and which may or may not be lockable. Even if wall racks are present in which to store a boat operator's spars, and even if they are lockable, the problem remains as to safe storage of smaller gear such as a rudder, tiller and the tiller extension, or dagger board, sail, lines, hardware, etc.
What is therefore needed is a lockable storage cover onto which all small boat gear may be strapped securely, stored and locked to protect from both damage and theft. What is further needed is flexibility in shipment--a structure which will allow safe, secure shipment when shipped either on or off of the boat.